Style: Belgian Pale Ale

All Styles

Style Profile based on 859 recipes

BU:GU

0.49

Hops

3.5 g/L

Mash pH

5.58

Style Guidelines BJCP 2015 Beer
OG
1.048 1.054
1.055
FG
1.01 1.014
1.012
IBU
20 30
26
ABV
4.8% 5.5%
5.7%
SRM
8 14
Description

A moderately malty, somewhat fruity, easy-drinking, copper-colored Belgian ale that is somewhat less aggressive in flavor profile than many other Belgian beers. The malt character tends to be a bit biscuity with light toasty, honey-like, or caramelly components; the fruit character is noticeable and complementary to the malt. The bitterness level is generally moderate, but may not seem as high due to the flavorful malt profile. History: Produced by breweries with roots as far back as the mid-1700s, the most well-known examples were perfected after the Second World War with some influence from Britain, including hops and yeast strains. Style Comparison: Fairly similar to pale ales from England (Strong Bitter category), typically with a slightly different yeast character and a more varied malt profile. Less yeast character than many other Belgian beers, though.

Examples: De Koninck, De Ryck Special, Palm Dobble, Palm Speciale

Typical Grain Bill

% of total grain weight across all recipes · sums to ~100%

Common Additions

% of Belgian Pale Ale recipes using each malt category (addition % in brackets)

Hop Usage by Addition Type

g/L · median with IQR range

Bittering
0.23 g/L 1.32 g/L
0.48 g/L
Flavour
0.25 g/L 1.23 g/L
0.51 g/L
Aroma
0.23 g/L 1.33 g/L
0.53 g/L
Whirlpool
0.23 g/L 1.1 g/L
0.49 g/L
Dry Hop
0.53 g/L 2.11 g/L
0.92 g/L

Common Hops

% of Belgian Pale Ale recipes using each hop

Common Fermentables

Colour = malt category · bar = % of recipes

Typical Water Profile

Ca²⁺ 75 ppm
Mg²⁺ 5 ppm
Na⁺ 10 ppm
Cl⁻ 75 ppm
SO₄²⁻ 75 ppm
HCO₃⁻ 29 ppm

median across recipes with a declared water profile

Similar Styles

Ranked by similarity across OG, IBU, ABV, hop rate, and grist composition.